The CEO of ONE Championship, Chatri Sityodtong, announced that he has scheduled a meeting with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou this weekend.
The purpose of the meeting is to work towards finalizing a deal between the two parties. Meanwhile, Sityodtong also took a swipe at PFL. Ngannou has been searching for a new combat sports promotion after failing to reach an agreement with his former employer for two years.
Sityodtong appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani and expressed confidence that Ngannou would soon choose from among several offers he has received.
ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong says he's meeting with Francis Ngannou on Saturday in Los Angeles 👀 #TheMMAHour
"For sure, ONE can give him the biggest offer on the table out of all his bids, but it has to work for him, it has to work for us.”
▶️ https://t.co/qEnOZzRssF pic.twitter.com/ZHKaf99wkC
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) April 26, 2023
“Francis, we’ve been in discussions. I like Francis. He brings a lot to the table. I think he’ll have a tough time in our heavyweight division, to be frank, which I’ve said that publicly and I think it’ll be a big challenge for Francis,” Sityodtong said.
He’s gonna murder someone in there. https://t.co/11g5YbORHc
— Frank ☘️O’neal☘️Meadows (@FrankMeadows84) April 26, 2023
Chatri has confirmed that he will meet with the Cameroonian this Saturday in Los Angeles to present ONE Championship’s final proposal.
“He and I will sit down and talk,” Sityodtong revealed. “For sure one of them can give him the biggest offer out of all of them on the table out of all his bids. But it has to work for him and it has to work for us and I just believe that meeting somebody, you get the energy.”
Although Chatri is thrilled at the prospect of signing the most significant free agent in MMA history, the CEO of ONE believes that the former UFC star will face an arduous challenge against the heavyweight fighters in the ONE Circle.
Chatri takes a dig at PFL amid Francis Ngannou talks
Despite his occasional jabs at UFC and Bellator, Chatri considers them legitimate global competitors. However, he does not view the Professional Fighters League (PFL) in the same light.
Chatri Sityodtong says the two other Global MMA promotions are UFC and Bellator.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/2JAfTnSrMx
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 26, 2023
In a conversation with Ariel Helwani, Sityodtong identified UFC and Bellator as the two other global mixed martial arts promotions. When asked why PFL was not included,
He recommended that the MMA Hour host examine the “hard facts and numbers” before explaining his rationale.
Chatri also looked at social media figures to distinguish ONE Championship even more from other combat sports organizations aside from their direct global market rival, the UFC.
Sityodtong’s criticism of the PFL is likely linked to the promotion’s interest in acquiring Ngannou’s services.
Dan Hardy, a one-time UFC title contender and currently PFL Europe’s Director of Fighter Operations. Stated in an exclusive interview with MiddleEasy that it was only a matter of time before ‘The Predator’ signed with the PFL.
What are your thoughts regarding Ngannou? Let us know in the comment section below.
